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The paintings are together worth about 100 million euros ($123 million,) Christophe Girard, the Paris city official responsible for culture said as he visited the scene of the crime today. He dismissed earlier reports putting the value as high as 500 million euros.

I put for the general inclination of all mankind, a perpetual and restless desire of power after power, that ceaseth only in death. --Thomas Hobbes

Originally Posted by CassandraW

You're a smug, sneering, ranting asshole, and yet even when I despise your position, I like you.

If they're so famous, the thief is not going to find a buyer. Unless, of course, the whole thing was set up from the start by a collector who put in an order with the thieves.
Nothing like an arts or a diamonds theft to fire up my interest in heist movies again.

“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat. "We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”

“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat. "We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”

2) Cutting into the thief's hopes of profit from reselling it back to the museum?

do they do that?

I know museums sometimes get them back, but I can't see them paying for it. Granted I'm sure - or would hope - that insurance covers some of the losses from something like that, but I would think that sort of policy would be an almost open invitation to have things stolen.

“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat. "We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”

Yep. All the currency laws are resurrecting the ages-old trade standard of barter. It's not just criminal enterprises, either... although most governments consider unreported barter as criminal in and of itself.

As all of the artists mentioned weren't my favorites, I guess I don't really care other than the security in Paris museums must be amazingly lax. Thank heavens the thieves have a thing for modern or they'd be stalking the Louvre. Still could, I suppose. Watch out, Mona!!

Back on topic, I think I pretty much agree that the paintings in question are too famous, and will be bartered rather than trying to sell them to/through a fence. Maybe Girard is trying simply to lower their selling value as stated upthread, or maybe he has particular reason to hope they are bartered. Perhaps there is some way of recovering them easily in that process.

Have to say, I think "heist" seems to indicate some level of smarts in the criminal. Which is wrong. I think "less dumb than the museum" would be more accurate- how the hell could someone just break a window and rob five world-famous paintings? 0_0

Society exists only as a mental concept; in the real world there are only individuals